Magnetic particles or beads are used within the biotechnology field in a range of applications including extraction and purification of nucleic acids and proteins as well as viruses and whole cells. During use, target media (e.g., DNA) binds to the surface of the particles, whereupon it can be manipulated magnetically.
It would be advantageous to provide a low-cost, efficient approach to synthesize and provide magnetic particles having, for example, a strong response to a magnetic field, controlled particle size, composition, uniformity, crystalline structure, and surface chemistry.